Ralf Rangnick makes major Chelsea admission as Thomas Tuchel decision lays Man Utd problems bare

Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick admitted that his team was ‘lucky’ to earn a point against Chelsea at Old Trafford on Thursday night. Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal salvaged a point for the hosts after Marcos Alonso opened the scoring in one of the Blues’ better recent displays.

Thomas Tuchel’s team showed more fluency and cutting edge than they did against West Ham the previous Saturday, but they struggled to hit the net in the first half, with Kai Havertz missing a number of chances. Following their equalizer, the Red Devils were able to find their feet slightly and mounted pressure of their own as the clock ticked down.

However, Reece James had the best chance in the game. Rangnick admitted that, despite the quality of Ronaldo’s goal, his side should be happy with a point after the young England international struck the post after Mason Mount laid the ball off with a clever touch, and the young England international struck the post after Mason Mount laid the ball off with a clever touch.

Manchester United’s future consultant stated: “In the first half, we were fortunate because we needed some brilliant stops from David and some last-ditch tackles. I believed we were better in the second half, with more chances to get possession of the ball. We conceded the goal after 16 minutes, but we responded well and scored a great goal thanks to an incredible pass from Nemanja and a finish from Cristiano.

“It was an open game in the final 20 minutes, and they could have scored. We got lucky when Reece James hit the post. We had our moments as well, and Cristiano could have added another one or two goals. Overall, we have to confess that we were fortunate to get the point, but our reaction in the second half was positive.”

The Blues were able to strengthen their squad after Tuchel chose to bring back James and Antonio Rudiger from injury, and Rangnick emphasized the gap between Chelsea’s team and his own. Rangnick was without Harry Maguire, Jadon Sancho, and Fred for the game, and he selected two goalkeepers on his bench, along with teenagers Hannibal Mejbri, Shola Shoretire, and Alvaro Fernandez. In contrast, the Blues were able to rely on their own Romelu Lukaku, Christian Pulisic, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Rangnick continued, saying: “Again, comparing our bench today to Chelsea’s bench and first XI… this is not an excuse, just an explanation, and sure, we rely heavily on Cristiano right now. He also contributed significantly defensively in the second half while Chelsea was in possession.

“I informed you about it during one of the press conferences a few weeks back. There must be an emphasis on bringing in a couple of new strikers.”